Process of and machinery for making tile-blocks



2- Sheets-Shet 1.

(No Model.)

G. ELBREG.

PROGESS OF AND MACHINERY FOR MAKING TILB BLOCKS.

No. 267,848. "Patented Nov. 21, 1882..

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. G. ELBREG. PROCESS OF AND MAGHINBRY FOR MAKING THE BLOCKS. No. 267,848.

Patented Nov. 21, 1882.

Nv PETERS, Phuwthhogrwhar, Wnhingion. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OEORGE ELBREG, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

PROCESS OF AND MACHINERY FOR MAKING TILE-BLOCKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 267,848, dated November 21, 1882.

Application filed May 2,1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ELBREG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Golumbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful 1m provemen ts in the Process of and Machinery for Making Tile-Blocks, of which the following 1s a specification.

My invention relates to a new mode of makin g tile-blocks.

It consists of three steps or processes, and in the'necessary machinery for carrying out said steps or processes. By the first step of my process a new produotis also made. I first prepare a thin sheet of clay on paper, which forms the finished surface of i the. tile-blocks. The second step consists in the method of cutting up the clay sheets into suitable blocks to make the finished face of the tile; and-the third step consists in the method of combining the clay sheets with a suitable body of clay to be pressed and burned to make the finished tile-blocks.

Other features of my invention consist in the mechanical means which I have invented for carrying out the other features of my invention.

anism; Fig. 8, a plan view of the cutting-dies;

Fig. 9, a longitudinal section of the cuttingdies and follower-board; and Fig. 10, an elevation of the rack and pinion.

A represents the body or frame of the first machine; A, the legs on which the parts are supported. The frame of the machine may be made of any suitable material, and should be substantially built.

1) represents a pinion, mounted on a shaft supported in journals on frame A, which is driven by a belt, D, running over a pulley on the end of the shaft opposite to pinion 11. Pinion b drives large gear-wheel B, mounted upon the axial shaft of roller 0.

lar manner from roller F upon roller f.

It represents a pulley on the same shaft.

f represents a transmitting-pulley, mounted on axial shaft of roller F. This axial shaft of roller F is journaled upon the frame of the machine in any suitable manner.

H represents another transmitting pulley, j ournaled to the frame of the machine on an independent shaft. Upon the outer end of said Shaft is a transmitting-pinion, not shown in drawings, and meshing with gear B.

6 represents a pulley, mounted on the axial,

shaft of roller 0, driven by a belt from pulley H, as shown in'Fig. 1.

Roller O is mounted in sliding journal-boxes, working in ways in theframe of the machine, and vertically adjusted by means of handwheels I, keyed on screw-rods swiveled to the journal-boxes.

E is a roll the axis of which is journaled upon bracket Z.

E represents a rollof cloth, wound or unrolled from roller E and wound upon roller 0 by means of the belt passing over pulleys H e.

F represents a roll of paper, wound in asimi- The several rolls E e F f are journaled in such a manner as to be readily detachable as fast as webs of cloth or paper are wound ofi of the rollers E. and F, when a new roll is placed in position for a similar winding.

The object of this machine is to prepare thin sheets of clay with a finished face, which is formed by being pressed upon and adhering to paper F by the operation of rolls 0 0.

In order to prevent the clay from adhering to the upper roll, fine muslin or other porous endless web F is caused to pass between the clay'and the roller 0. Paper is used on which to press and roll the thin sheets of play for several reasons.

It gives a smooth, fine finish to the clay, and, being flexible, allows it to be wound into rolls as fast as made, which is a very advantageous form for handling in the second stage of the process, and the paper preserves the surface of the base to which it adheres while the second and third stepsthat of cutting and uniting this thin sheet with another body of clay to form the tile-are being performed. 1t also prevents the spreading of the color and preserves it intact in the suceeedin g steps, and prevents spotting or soiling of the clay while it is being handled and dried.

The paper may be burned off in the kiln, or

removed after the tilehas been completed and thoroughly dried ready for burning, leaving an excellent finished surface. When delicate colors are to be used I prefer to remove the paper before burning; but in some cases the paper will burn off in the kiln without injury to the color. I

I also intend to employ this process in the manufacture of brick for building purposes, as well as for tile. The thin sheets of clay formed on paper I believe to be a new article of manufacture, and I desire to claim the same for all purposes to which it can be applied. The thin sheets'of clay so prepared are united with an additional body of clay. Thepreferred process of carrying out this part of my invention is described as the third step.

The process of making the tile-sheet is as follows: A bolt of cloth is placed on roller E and one end passed around roller e, so as to be wound, as before explained; and in a similar manner a roll of'paper is placed leading from roller F tof, when the machine is ready to be be started. Olay which has been previously worked and tempered so as to be highly plastic is placed in bats of suitable size on the web of paper in front of roller 0 c, which are adjusted so as to have the space between three faces the distance equal to the thickness of the sheet to be spread on the paper. Power is applied to the machine, when the rollers G a spread and press the bats of clay placed on the paper into a thin film upon the upper surface of the paper F, to which it adheres, and is wound with it into rolls upon rollersf,when it is ready for the second step of my process.

The second stop of my process is performed by means of cutting-dies, and I have invented the following machine for carrying it on:

M represents the frame of the machine; m m, guide-standards, placed upon either side of the machine; N, a soft-metal cylinder, journaled upon an axial shaft, 02. This cylinder forms a cutting-surface against which the edges of die-knives are pressed in the block cutting.

N represents sliding journal-box frames, working in ways or guides between standards M represents an adjusting-screw, tapping through the cross-head of the standards at m and swiveled to the" journal-box frame N.

Orepresents a coiled spring, seated between the box z' of the shaft-journal and its frame N.

9 represents a screw-threaded sleeve, which forms the journal proper of shaft n.

g represents a threaded bushing, through which the sleeve 9 passes.

J represents a crank-arm, rigidly secured to the sleeve g.

The bushing g rests in the journal-box 2'. By turning the crank-shaft J the roller N is adjustedlaterally between the standards at m, so as to present different surfaces to the cuttin g-knives.

0 represents a driving pulley, keyed to shaft 0.

of shaft 0, and having brackets or hangers Q i Q, in the outer forked ends of which are journaled two small friction-rollers q q. Rollers q q are in frictional contact with the face of roller 1?, and serve as idlers when the lever p is perpendicular.

P represents a second friction-pulley, which is driven forward or back as the friction-rollers q q are brought alternately into frictional contact with pulleys P P by means of the hand-lever p, which is movedto and fro to secure the desired direction of travel.

R R represent gears, keyed to shaft 0.

S represents a reciprocating carriage, working in guides cut in brackets as.

S S represent rack-bars, attached to the under side of table S, the teeth of which mesh with the gears R to reciprocate the carriage S backward and forward as the lever 19 is moved to the right or left. The carriage S carries cutting-dies T, which may be' of any form or shape to give the desired configuration .to the tile. I have shown the usual form or shape of ornamental tile of rectangular blocks twith pieces of right-angled triangular shape cut from each of the four corners, as shown in Fig. 8, so as to form lesser blocks between the carriers of the larger ones.

T represents the blade of the die-knives, the backs of which rest on carriage S. Each of the linesin Fig. 8 represents the cutting-edge of the die-knives.

20 represents follower-plates of the same shape as the blocks or die-knives, resting on carriage S between the knives T.

V'represents pins fastened to the follower plates, which project through holes pierced in the table S.

W representsapost, which carries a platen, and is operated by a compound treadle, W, pivoted to frame M.

a represents an arm, rigidly attached tovpost W, which carries the platen. This arm a is pivoted upon a fulcrum-rod, y, and to arm a at s, the parts a, a, y, and 3 forming a compound treadle-lever by which the platen W is raised.

The second step of my process is performed by the apparatus shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,. and 9. A roll of paper covered with the thin.

coating of clay formed by the first step is placed in the forked standards M and opposite the cylinder N. Carriage Sis withdrawnfrom under cylinder N, and one end of the sheet-clay is drawn over the cutting-edge of knives T, when the operator takes hold of handle 1), moves it forward, and brings friction-pulleys q into contactwith pulleys P and P, which carries the knivesvwith the sheet of clay under the cylinder N and cuts the sheet-clay into the desired shape for tile, which blocks fall down and rest on the follower. A reverse movement of lever 19 will reciprocate carriage S out. from under cylinder N in position for a second operation, andthlsis repeated until it is necessary to remote the blocks from the die'knives, when the operator places his foot on treadle W and raises. platen W and the follower-plates, which lift the block out of the dies, from which they are removed ready for the third step of the slushed sheet in the bottom of the mold. A

coarser and less-carefully prepared quality of clay can be used for this filling. The slushinglayers cause the two to unite or adhere together, and they absorb the moisture of the slushinglayer and become of the same temper. The blocks are then dried sufficiently to bepressed. After being pressed they are dried, and then placed in a kiln and burned in the usual manner.

1. The herein-described process of forming continuous thin sheets of clay upon sheets of paper by means of pressure-rolls, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The herein-described process of forming a continuous roll of sheet-clay which is unitedto a roll of paper by means, of pressing rollers and a traveling cloth apron passing between the rolls and clay, substantially as herein set forth. 7

3. The processof cuttin gpreviously-prepared thin sheets of clay into shape of tile-blocks. by

means of cutting-dies reciprocating under a metal roller, substantially as herein set forth.

4. The process of making tile by means of a thin continuous sheet of clay pressed upon paper and then out into shape and placed in the bottom of molds and then filled with mastic clay and 'pressed, dried, and burned, all substantiallyas herein set forth.

5. A thin continuous sheet of clay pressed and united to a sheet of paper adapted to be used as the finished surface of ornamental tile, substantially as herein set forth.

6. The process of making the finished-face tile by means of a sheet of paper upon which the clay is spread in a continuous sheet and pressed and afterward burned in the kiln to consume the paper and cure the tile, substan-.

tially as herein set forth.

7. In a machine for making sheets of combined clay and paper, the combination of the cloth-carryingrol] E, the paper-carryin g roll F, and the upper and lower pressure-rolls O 0, arranged, substantially as described, to receive the clay between the cloth and paper and unite it with the latter, as set forth.

8. The machine for cutting clay-sheets into tile-shaped blocks, consisting of the cylinder N, the reciprocating table S, and dies, combined and operated substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' GEORGE ELBREG. Witnesses:

M. W. Buss, ELLIOTT B. BLIss. 

